Sometimes the greatest truths make no sense. Thats not just a paradox, its also the definition of one.

Finding the truth at the heart of certain contradictions may be the best way to move forward.

Here is a list of paradoxes about the modern world of technology and work. Besides providing work-type entertainment, this list is intended to make a larger point about contending with the great technological changes of our time: When youre in a landscape of technological novelty as dramatically different as ours is from even the recent past (Pocket computer smartphones! Cloud computing! Artificial intelligence!), locating the major landmarks can be a challenge. Some features are too novel to be well comprehended or applied. Language that described the previous world struggles to describe interactions of the new.

Finding the truth at the heart of certain contradictions may be the best way to move forward. Here are some attempts at new ways of seeing, via illuminating paradoxes:

1.The worlds biggest computer is also the most personal.

The big clouds are global computing systems with over a million servers apiece, cleverly networked to represent millions more computers. At any given time, millions and billions of people are diving in and out of these systems, enjoying their email, their version of the internet, their business experience, etc. No two users are the same, and a service like Google Cloud strives to anticipate particular business and personal needssome configured by the user, some utilize artificial intelligence agents that enable people to write and find documents more effectively.

By comparison, servers and PCs, sold individually by the millions, have traditionally deliveredimpersonal experiences. The more individualized experiences that we enjoy through these devices today derive largely from the connection of servers and PCs to the cloud, infusing what was limited and cold with unbounded potential for customization.

2.In a digital world of eternal storage, vanishing analog moments rule.

A couple of years back, I calculated that 100 years ago, it cost about $30 in todays money both to see the opera star Enrico Caruso and to buy one of his records. These days, recorded music is basically free on YouTube or other services, and the average price of a ticket for Springsteen on Broadway was almost $1,800 on the open market.

I believe that the reason for this, and the reason for the explosion of conferences and live business events, is that as the number of digital moments has exploded, authentic human moments have become relatively scarce. Adding to the irony, we are seeing smart ways companies are using digital technology to make the human experience more vivid, like when a sports company offers an app for a better experience navigating a sports stadium.

This observation brings me to the next paradox.

3.The jobs are going! Here come the jobs!

Theres significant concern that millions of people will have their lives turned upside down by robots and artificial intelligence (AI). Maybe so, though predictions are mixedthis well-researched McKinsey study projected both major job losses and major job gains.

While weve seen some robots doing relatively simple tasks, like moving things around warehouses, the impact on manual labor so far has been relatively smalland for good reason. Jobs like mowing a lawn or driving a truck turn out to require a lot of contextual judgement.

Meantime, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says there are now about 357,000 personal trainers in the U.S., and the category is expected to grow at 13% over the next decade, faster than the average job. There are 160,000 massage therapists, growing at 22%. And 55,000 marriage and family therapists, growing 22%. You get the picture: Were putting more money toward people who look at us, touch us, and listen to us the way machines dont.

And thats before we get to the jobs that didnt exist 15 years ago: drone pilot, mobile app developer, social media manager, machine learning specialistyou get the idea.

4.Specialize, especially by focusing on general relationships.

In our new data-centric world, software developers who are also experts in a companys core business are often highly valued. Thats because connected products, the digital expression of that core business, now collect information about the products performance in real time, and developers can build in adjustments based on user demands or changing market conditions.

As AI becomes more important, domain-specific data plays an increasingly critical role in how products are built and optimized. The most successful developers have not just the domain expertise of a specialist, but an understanding of what data around that domain matters most, how its collected, and how to keep it free of bias. Its the reason that big technology companies increasingly employ experts in healthcare or transportation or retail, for example, rather than simply hiring engineers with generalized skill sets. No data stands alone, and how things relate matters too.

5.Information is easy. Questions are hard.

A related point to the above: AI can move through unimaginable amounts of data, finding previously unknown patterns and insights. That doesnt mean the patterns are valuable, as this entertaining chart shows. If you take all of your companys data, petabytes of it, and only focus on demanding that it make you more money, youre likely to end up with garbage.

Ask specific questions, however, prioritized based on a companys core competitive advantages and the best-quality data, and youll likely get the most useful results. This can be difficult, but is critically important to deriving real value from data.

6.The only certainty is approximation.

Im lifting this one from an observation by Jeff Dean, the head of Googles research and AI efforts. He notes that advanced AI, like deep learning, doesnt indicate decisions based on certainty, but on likelihood (what he terms gradient points in the direction of improvement). Moreover, given the many layers and sequences of a deep learning system, sometimes its hard to figure out exactly how the system came to its conclusion. Its a machine that isnt always good at explaining itself, unlike, say, a car engine, which can be observed and understood with a lot of certainty (a little bit of gasoline is ignited by a spark plug, causing a piston to move).

In a world increasingly dependent on statistical approximation, many of our existing legal and social rules, which are premised on an illusion of certainty, may be challenged.

7.In an uncertain new world thats full of cutting-edge technology, the best advice can be found in an 85-year-old religious poem.

T.S. Eliot nailed our situation in one of the choruses from The Rock: They constantly try to escape / From the darkness outside and within / By dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good.

In other words, no matter how much we understand and perfect the world, well all still have the hard work of trying to be good. Machines dont fix that.

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The New Paradoxes of the Cloud Computing World - Forbes

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As a kid, I would park myself in front of the TV to play games,usually close enough that I could reach out and put my grubby hands on the screen.My father, probably frustrated that he couldnt watch TV for dads, like extremeprofessional lawn mowing tournaments or something, always said that when I grewinto an adult, I wouldnt care about playing games anymore. How very wrong hewas.

Im sure youre with me. Not only do I still play games, I stilllove to play some of the same ones I did back then (Halo: Reach anybody? Age ofEmpires II?). I play games based on cartoons; I make Spotify playlists ofbest video game soundtracks (which reminder! You can get 6 months of SpotifyPremium, and 1 month of EA Access and 3 months of Discord Nitro with your XboxGame Pass Ultimate membership right now), and I still sometimes put my grubbyhands on the screen.

Enough withmemory lane, lets get to the games!

December 5

My Friend Pedro (ID@Xbox)A violent ballet about friendship, imagination, and one mans struggle to obliterate anyone in his path at the command of a conscious banana. The strategic use of split aiming, slow motion, and the stylish window breach create one sensational action sequence after another in an explosive battle through the criminal underworld.

Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi StrikerThe Naruto franchise is back with a brand-new experience in Naruto to Boruto: Shiobi Striker! This new game lets gamers battle as a team of four to compete against other teams online! Shinobi Striker is built from the ground up in a completely new graphic style. Lead your team and fight online to see who the best ninjas are!

December 6

Demons Tilt (ID@Xbox Day One Launch)A tribute to 90s video pinball games, featuring modern effects and mechanicsincluding bosses, secrets, and unprecedented depth to please video gamers and hardcore pinball enthusiasts alike. Now with bigger sprites, more baddies, more secrets, and more bullets! Demons Tilt pushes the limits of the video pinball genre with Shmup & Hack N Slash elements.

Wandersong (ID@Xbox Day One Launch)A musical platforming adventure with an emotional story. Play as a silly bard and use music to interact with everything on a journey around the world. Along the way youll explore, solve puzzles, and meet a huge cast of characters.

December 12

eFootball PES 2020 Experience the most realistic and authentic soccer game with eFootball PES 2020! Play with the biggest teams in world soccer, featuring Spanish champions FC Barcelona, global giants Manchester United, German champions FC Bayern Mnchen, and Italian champions Juventus featured exclusively in PES!

Overcooked! 2 (ID@Xbox)Overcooked returns with a brand-new helping of chaotic cooking action! Journey back to the Onion Kingdom and assemble your team of chefs in classic couch co-op or online play for up to four players. Hold onto your aprons its time to save the world (again!)

Pathologic 2 (ID@Xbox Day One Launch)A narrative-driven dramatic thriller about fighting a deadly outbreak in a secluded rural town. Face the realities of a collapsing society as you make difficult choices in seemingly lose-lose situations in this groundbreaking open-world horror RPG.

Tom Clancys The DivisionA revolutionary next-gen experience that brings the RPG into a modern military setting for the first time. In the wake of a devastating pandemic that sweeps through New York City, basic services fail one by one, and without access to food or water the city descends into chaos. As an agent of The Division, youll specialize, modify, and level up your gear, weapons, and skills to take back New York.

In Case You Missed It: Even More Games

Coming as a complete shock to no one, we added more games earlier this month too! You might have missed it between the absolute monster bucket of games we announced at X019, and now. Heres our latest drop:

November 19

Munchkin: Quacked Quest (ID@Xbox Day One Launch)A dungeon crawler with all the humor, puns, and ducks from the hit card game Munchkin by Steve Jackson. Take down your enemies and your allies while gathering gold and get to the top by sacrificing foes (and friends) in pits. Grab your Rat-on-a-Stick or a Flare Gun and prepare for the rampaging hordes of monsters and friends you may have just thrown into a sacrifice pit.

November 26

The Escapists 2 (ID@Xbox)Craft, steal, brawl, and escape! Its time to bust out of the toughest prisons in the world as you return to the life of an inmate in The Escapists 2. Explore the biggest prisons yet with multiple floors, roofs, vents, and underground tunnels. Live by the prison rules, attending roll call, doing prison jobs and following strict routines, all the while secretly engineering your bid for freedom!

December 3

Halo: Reach (Console and PC)Halo: Reach for Halo: The Master Chief Collection comes to the Xbox One and for the first time ever: Windows 10 PC. Looking better than ever Halo: Reach includes up to 4K UHD resolution and HDR on Xbox One X consoles. Experience the tragic and heroic story of Noble Team, who through great sacrifice and courage saved countless lives in the face of impossible odds. Enjoy iconic Halo multiplayer experiences with generation-defining player customization, unforgettable maps and classic game modes.

Member Benefits & Game Updates

Xbox Game Pass Quests

You were going to play the games anyways, time to get some extra points for it. You can open the Microsoft Rewards app and youll see a green checkmark with any Quest youve completed. Heres what is on deck for your next quests:

Game Pass Quests from December 2 through January 6 include

Leaving Soon

Its sad to see games go as we bring in new ones, we know. If you love these games and arent ready to say goodbye, you can buy any game thats leaving soon before they leave on December 13 at up to 20% off.

Inclosing: A bucket of games coming soon to our library (many you can play right nowby using the Xbox app to download fromwherever you are for both console and PC), discounts on games, free updates toothers, and quests to earn points in games you were probably going to playanyways (might as well get some rewards out of it). Anything not in that list,well make a meme of it on Twitter or Instagram.

Ifyoure not a member yet, but want to check out the these great games, try your first three months of Xbox Game PassUltimate for just $1. Good luck getting through all these games!

Related:New with Xbox Game Pass for PC: Halo: Reach, My Friend Pedro, and MoreXbox Insider Release Notes Delta and Omega Ring (1911.191202-1836)Xbox Insider Release Notes Beta Ring (1911.191202-1836)

Website:LINK

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Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for Console: Halo: Reach, Tom Clancys The Division, and Many More - Blogdottv

CLAYTON, MO The St. Louis County woman found dead in Lincoln County three weeks ago had searched the internet for what to do if your husband is upset you are pregnant. That information was posted by our partners at the Post-Dispatch, citing police search warrants.

Jennifer Rothwells husband, Beau Rothwell, 28, is being held at the St. Louis County Justice Center without bond. He is charged with second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with his wifes death.

Sources have told Fox 2/News 11 that Jennifer, 28, was pregnant when she died, and Beau Rothwell was having an affair.

The Post reports preliminary autopsy findings suggest Jennifer died of blunt force injuries to her head. A final cause of death has not yet been determined.

Based on Missouri law, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell has the option to seek murder charges in connection with the death of the fetus. A spokesperson with Bells office told Fox 2/News 11 they have not seen an official autopsy report and would not comment until they had.

According to St. Louis County police, Rothwell reported Jennifer missing November 12th. Her car was later found abandoned near Olive Boulevard and Fee Fee Road.

Rothwell was arrested on November 13th after investigators determined he was seen on video purchasing cleaning supplies like bleach, carpet cleaner, and gloves on November 11th.

On the day of Rothwells arrest, investigators found Jennifers blood on the carpet and padding along with bleach-soaked carpeting in the couples St. Louis County home.

On November 18th, Rothwell and his attorney gave investigators information which led them to search a stretch of

Highway 61 in Lincoln County. Police found Jennifers body late that night.

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Jennifer Rothwells cell phone reveals new information about her marriage - fox2now.com

Report Summary:

The report titled Truckmount Carpet Cleaner Market offers a primary overview of the Truckmount Carpet Cleaner industry covering different product definitions, classifications, and participants in the industry chain structure. The quantitative and qualitative analysis is provided for the global Truckmount Carpet Cleaner market considering competitive landscape, development trends, and key critical success factors (CSFs) prevailing in the Truckmount Carpet Cleaner industry.

Historical Forecast Period

2013 2017 Historical Year for Truckmount Carpet Cleaner Market

2018 Base Year for Truckmount Carpet Cleaner Market

2019-2027 Forecast Period for Truckmount Carpet Cleaner Market

Request For Report Sample:https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/9694

Key Developments in the Truckmount Carpet Cleaner Market

To describe Truckmount Carpet Cleaner Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by countries, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;

To analyze the manufacturers of Truckmount Carpet Cleaner, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2018;

To display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers in Global, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2018;

To show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type and application, from 2013 to 2019;

To analyze the key countries by manufacturers, Type and Application, covering North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle-East and South America, with sales, revenue and market share by manufacturers, types and applications;

Truckmount Carpet Cleaner market forecast, by countries, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2018 to 2026;

To analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.

To analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);

Todescribe Truckmount Carpet Cleaner sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.

To describe Truckmount Carpet Cleaner Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source

Request For ReportDiscount:https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/9694

Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers

TMS Cleaning Supplies Equipment

Aero Tech Manufacturing

HydraMaster

Amtex Equipment

SteamAction

Prochem Europe Ltd.

Cat Pumps

Truckmounts Cleaning Solutions, Inc.

Chem Tex

Pembertons

Market Segment by Countries, covering

North America (United States, Canada, Mexico) Market Revenue and/or Volume

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Russia, Italy) Market Revenue and/or Volume

Asia Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia) Market Revenue and/or Volume

Middle-East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa) Market Revenue and/or Volume

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, etc.) Market Revenue and/or Volume

Market Segment by Type, covers

Slide-in Truck Mounts

Van-Powered Truck Mounts

Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into

Residential

Chemical Industry

Commercial

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Truckmount Carpet Cleaner Market Upcoming Trends, Incredible Possibilities, Business Opportunities and Regional Outlook - Crypto News Byte

In this report, the global Carpet Cleaning Machine market is valued at USD XX million in 2019 and is projected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of XX% during the period 2019 to 2025.

For top companies in United States, European Union and China, this report investigates and analyzes the production, value, price, market share and growth rate for the top manufacturers, key data from 2019 to 2025.

The Carpet Cleaning Machine market report firstly introduced the basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the worlds main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the Carpet Cleaning Machine market report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.

Request Sample Report @ https://www.researchmoz.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=2565833&source=atm

The major players profiled in this Carpet Cleaning Machine market report include:

HooverKarcherKoblenzBISSELLOreckPowr-FliteKenmorePhilipsRug DoctorMytee

Segment by RegionsNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapan

Segment by TypeDry Bubble Carpet Cleaning MachineSplit Type Carpet Cleaning MachineThree-in-one Carpet Cleaning Machine

Segment by ApplicationHouseholdCommercial

You can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.researchmoz.com/checkout?rep_id=2565833&licType=S&source=atm

The study objectives of Carpet Cleaning Machine Market Report are:

To analyze and research the Carpet Cleaning Machine market status and future forecast in United States, European Union and China, involving sales, value (revenue), growth rate (CAGR), market share, historical and forecast.

To present the Carpet Cleaning Machine manufacturers, presenting the sales, revenue, market share, and recent development for key players.

To split the breakdown data by regions, type, companies and applications

To analyze the global and key regions Carpet Cleaning Machine market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.

To identify significant trends, drivers, influence factors in global and regions

To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the Carpet Cleaning Machine market.

Make An EnquiryAbout This Report @ https://www.researchmoz.com/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=2565833&source=atm

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Carpet Cleaning Machine Market Regulations and Competitive Landscape Outlook to 2019-2025 - The Market Expedition

WHILE some young boys dream of growing up to become an astronaut, a football player or a cowboy, Edward Greany wanted nothing more than to own a dry cleaners an unusual dream, he will admit, but one that had stolen his heart.

A passion for cleaning and quality service followed Mr Greany, 68, throughout his life, and after 20 years owning and running Rockhamptons Jet Dry Cleaners, he and his wife Rita, 65, have now decided to sell up, with a prominent local figure taking over.

(They) had just had dry cleaning done and Rita approached (them) about buying the dry cleaners, Mr Greany said.

One day, (they) called and she put in an offer, which Rita accepted.

After suffering with ill health over the past few years, and suffering a small heart attack in March, Mr Greany and his wife decided it was time to retire and start travelling Grey Nomad style.

With grandchildren around Central Queensland, Brisbane and Mackay, and their first great grandchild on the way, the time was right to hit the road in their caravan.

The couple will also head to Fiji for Christmas, Western Australian in February and New Zealand for a cruise in April.

We finished up on October 31, which for me finished about 40 years of being self-employed, Mr Greany said.

Were very relieved and relaxed.

The business has been with the family through highs and lows, including Cyclone Marcia in 2015, when the couple ran the business out of their home with a generator.

Some of their customers includes emergency services, namely police officers.

Mr Greany started his working life at Jets in 1968, and fell in love with dry cleaning.

It may sound strange but thats the way it happened, he said.

I left and ran Jackos Cakes and Pies, visiting Bajool, Mount Morgan, Rockhampton, Raglan, Marmor, Bouldercombe and Yeppoon, in the early 70s in the back of a panel van.

Then we had a couple of milk runs around Rockhampton and the dry cleaners came up for sale.

It was a bit of a childhood dream. All the equipment was pretty old so we got in there, upgraded the equipment, made money and then sold it after five kids we didnt have enough time.

After a stint in carpet cleaning, and then commercial cleaning for 11-and-a-half-years, the dry cleaners came back on the market.

It had been a big part of my life. I had worked in a couple of laundries and gained a fair bit of knowledge but with dry cleaning there has been a lot of trial and error I was self-taught, Mr Greany said.

Ive loved every minute of it. Its our baby.

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For the love of suds: Cleaning business of 20 years sells - Morning Bulletin

Total Jobs Level Relegates Dark Days to Past

The U.S. economy has been so outstanding at creating jobs over the past ten years that now is a good time to stand back and assess where, among industries, the pickup has been most remarkable and whether there are currently signs of general easing.

The top half of Graph 1 sets out the level of U.S. total employment from January 2000 to the present. The rectangles of gray shading highlight the last two slowdowns i.e., the dot.com setback in Q2 and Q3 of 2001 and the Great Recession running from Q1 2008 through Q2 2009. The downturns in employment during those time frames is quite evident in both the upper and lower portions of the chart.

Whats also readily apparent, however, is how the past-20-years period, from a number-of-jobs point of view, has split into distinct decades. Total employment at the end of 2009 was slightly less than it was in January 2000. By way of contrast, from January 2010 on, the jobs count has done nothing but ascend.

Between the two recession, the year-over-year performance of total jobs maxed out, briefly, at +2.0%. A couple of years after the Great Recession, the y/y improvement in jobs again rose to +2.0% and stayed around that healthy yardstick for the next seven years. The y/y total jobs figure has been decelerating a bit during this latest year, 2019.

In the context of U.S. total employment growth from 2010 on, the big drop in the total employment level during the Great Recession no longer appears as horrendous as it once did. The jobs count has left its darkest days far behind. The overall labor market is no longer being hounded by the past.

Graph 1: U.S. Employment: Total

Gray shadings denote recessions, Q2-Q3 2001 (dot.com collapse) & Q1 2008-Q2 2009 (Great Recession).Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Payroll Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Chart: ConstructConnect.

But there are sectoral labor markets within the U.S. economy that continue to be haunted by the Great Recession. Theyre mainly within goods production, with manufacturing being the prime example.

Due to offshoring of work and adoption of automation, the number of manufacturing jobs fell into decline from 2000 through 2007, then really plummeted during the six quarters of recession from early 2008 to mid-2009. The recovery in total manufacturing jobs since 2010 has been muted.

Since 2011, the year-over-year percentage-change improvements in total manufacturing jobs have been in a range of zero, at worst, to +2.5%, at best. Most recently, the y/y performance has been trending down towards zero.

Graph 3 records results for one of manufacturings key sub-sectors, motor vehicle and parts production. The shape of the curve for level of auto-related jobs closely follows total manufacturing, with a steep slide during the Great Recession, and a gentle uplift since then.

Motor vehicle jobs scored a victory over total manufacturing jobs in mid-2012, however, when they soared to +10.0% y/y. Since then, their y/y advance has been gradually tailing off. In October of this current year, there was a big drop in employment (-5.9% y/y), but that was a one-off caused by the month-long strike at GM.

On a positive note, there have recently been significant investments in auto sector production, including new Fiat Chrysler and Toyota-Mazda assembly lines in Michigan and Alabama and vehicle battery manufacturing plants in Alabama (Mercedes-Benz) and Georgia (SK Innovation).

Graph 2: U.S. Employment: Manufacturing

Gray shadings denote recessions, Q2-Q3 2001 (dot.com collapse) & Q1 2008-Q2 2009 (Great Recession).Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Payroll Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Chart: ConstructConnect.

Graph 3: U.S. Employment: Motor Vehicles and Parts Manufacturing

Gray shadings denote recessions, Q2-Q3 2001 (dot.com collapse) & Q1 2008-Q2 2009 (Great Recession).Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Payroll Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Chart: ConstructConnect.

Construction is another sector where the last recession has yet to be fully beaten back and thoughts of the previous trough can still induce cold shivers. From the upper portion of Graph 4, the total number of construction jobs now remains a tad under what was achieved in 2006 and early 2007.

In the Great Recession, auto sector jobs fell by as much as -30% y/y. The construction sectors jobs count wasnt battered quite as severely, but -18% y/y was a tough pill to swallow nonetheless.

Since the 2008-09 recession, construction employment y/y peaked at +6.0% in late-2014-early 2015, then stayed robust through mid-2018. During the latest 12 months, though, the curve has been on a downward slope, although +2.0% in October 2019 continues to be lukewarm respectable.

Graph 5 shows an upfront component of the building sector, architectural and engineering services, where the jobs picture has been somewhat brighter than for overall construction. Total employment in design services surpassed its previous peak two years ago and continues to jog higher.

Interestingly, on a year-over-year basis, architectural and engineering services jobs did manage +6.0% gains before both the dot.com collapse and the 2008-09 credit crunch. The +6.0% surge ahead of the 08-09 financial crater was fueled by a homebuilding bubble (requiring drawings) that imploded when the full extent of the sub-prime mortgage fiasco was exposed.

In the latest decade, +6.0% y/y has been unattainable. The y/y change in architectural and engineering services jobs has often been +3.0% (i.e., half of +6%), but has never broken above that barrier.

Graph 4: U.S. Employment: Construction

Gray shadings denote recessions, Q2-Q3 2001 (dot.com collapse) & Q1 2008-Q2 2009 (Great Recession).Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Payroll Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Chart: ConstructConnect.

Graph 5: U.S. Employment: Architectural and Engineering Services

Gray shadings denote recessions, Q2-Q3 2001 (dot.com collapse) & Q1 2008-Q2 2009 (Great Recession).Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Payroll Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Chart: ConstructConnect.

There is another category of goods employment that bears scrutiny, oil and gas extraction work While the number of jobs in the fossil fuels field is relatively low (i.e., 200,000 at most), the importance of those jobs has been having an outsized impact on the economy.

The total volume of U.S. construction starts in 2019 to date has been inordinately bumped up by initiations of ultra-large projects, otherwise known as mega projects. Megas have estimated values of $1 billion or more each.

The biggest mega projects, of $5 billion and increasing from there, have been energy-related. Among notable construction starts in 2019, LNG export terminals (e.g., Golden Pass in Texas and Calcasieu Pass in Louisiana) have been two such projects, augmented by more traditional ethane cracker and refinery work.

The upper portion of Graph 6 shows that while the level of employment in oil and gas extraction contracted dramatically in 2015 through 2018, jobs in the sector over the past two years have come roaring back.

From the bottom portion of Graph 6, the swing in y/y employment has gone from -20% at worst in early 2017 to +11.8% at present. 2014 marked the beginning of a harrowing drop in global oil and gas prices. Lately, world energy markets have managed better price stability.

Graph 6: U.S. Employment: Oil and Gas Extraction

Gray shadings denote recessions, Q2-Q3 2001 (dot.com collapse) & Q1 2008-Q2 2009 (Great Recession).Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Payroll Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Chart: ConstructConnect.

Since employment in goods production has not generated the smooth upwards progression that is evident for all jobs in Graph 1 from 2010 on, it must be services-providing work that is providing the consistent advances. Graph 7, which is nearly a replica of Graph 1 in shape, confirms that such is the case.

But not all services sub-sectors tell the same story. Retail trade work (Graph 8), for example, has diverged significantly. The level of U.S. retail jobs recovered nicely for seven years after the Great Recession, but then crashed into a wall.

The total number of retail jobs in the country over the past three years, coincident with closures of many bricks and mortar locations across the land, has been in slow decline.

Graph 9 shows employment in education and health care. This is social service work that ties to demography. Schooling for younger generations and broad-spectrum medical care, increasingly slanted towards an aging population, are universal needs that will always generate a demand for practitioners and helpers.

From the bottom half of Graph 9, y/y employment in education and health care has never been negative in the past two decades, not even during the two recessions. In fact, it has never dipped below +1.0%.

Graph 7: U.S. Employment: Private Services-Providing

Gray shadings denote recessions, Q2-Q3 2001 (dot.com collapse) & Q1 2008-Q2 2009 (Great Recession).Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Payroll Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Chart: ConstructConnect.

Graph 8: U.S. Employment: Retail Trade

Gray shadings denote recessions, Q2-Q3 2001 (dot.com collapse) & Q1 2008-Q2 2009 (Great Recession).Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Payroll Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Chart: ConstructConnect.

Graph 9: U.S. Employment: Education and Health

Gray shadings denote recessions, Q2-Q3 2001 (dot.com collapse) & Q1 2008-Q2 2009 (Great Recession).Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Payroll Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Chart: ConstructConnect.

Thankfully, employment in the leisure and hospitality sector has been a fallback position for many individuals, especially young adults, seeking work. Graph 10 shows a steady upwards climb in the level of leisure and hospitality jobs since the 2008-09 recession.

More importantly, though, from 2012 through mid-2017, the y/y change in employment in the sector was mostly between +3.0% and +4.0%, beating the all jobs increase of +2.0%.

Its been no coincidence that hotel and motel construction starts also experienced a cyclical boom that began in 2012 and culminated with a peak in 2017.

Finally, Graph 11 shows another services-providing sub-sector which has managed exceptional jobs growth over the long-term. Computer systems design services employment encountered a minimal downturn in the last recession and has been growing by +5.0% or more year over year during much of the last two decades.

In October 2019, jobs growth in the sub-sector was still high at +4.0%. Theres good news for the construction industry in these numbers. Many of the new jobs in high-tech require desks, cubicles, labs and meeting rooms, all of which means a need for built-up square footage.

Graph 10: U.S. Employment: Leisure and Hospitality

Gray shadings denote recessions, Q2-Q3 2001 (dot.com collapse) & Q1 2008-Q2 2009 (Great Recession).Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Payroll Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Chart: ConstructConnect.

Graph 11: U.S. Employment: Computer Systems Design Services

Gray shadings denote recessions, Q2-Q3 2001 (dot.com collapse) & Q1 2008-Q2 2009 (Great Recession).Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Payroll Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Chart: ConstructConnect.

Graphs 12 through 15 show the jobs results for Canada in a similar fashion to what has been presented for the U.S. The categories covered are total, manufacturing, construction and services-producing.

One difference between the Canadian and U.S. graphs immediately jumps out. Canada has only one gray-shaded rectangle denoting a recession. The U.S. dot.com disturbance of Q2-Q3 2001 was not felt to a particularly negative degree north of the border.

As for the 2008-09 recession, Graph 12 establishes that Canadas decline in employment, at about -2.0%, was not as bad as Americas, -5%.

Also, for Canada as well as the U.S., when year-over-year total employment growth reaches +2.0% or higher, its a cause for celebration.

From Graph 13, Canadas manufacturing jobs count has sunk by nearly one-quarter from the beginning of this century. Unlike the U.S., however, there has been no improvement i.e., not even a slight recovery in the manufacturing sectors jobs level in Canada since the Great Recession.

Whereas U.S. construction employment fell by -18% y/y at the time of the 08-09 recession, the Canadian construction experience (Graph 14) was a relatively tame -6%. Canadian construction jobs during that period were supported by ongoing energy mega project work in Alberta, a government-backed infrastructure spending program and homebuilding activity that faltered slightly, but to nothing like the same degree as south of the border.

Year-over-year Canadian construction employment growth over the past six years (fluctuating around +2.0%), however, has not been as impressively upbeat as it was in the first four years of this latest decade (often +4.0% or more).

As for services-providing jobs in Canada (Graph 15), they retreated by only -1% y/y in the last recession and most recently, theyve staged a noteworthy breakout. Theyve been +2.0% or higher in every month of 2019 so far. Furthermore, their trajectory has been upwards, taking them to +3.0% y/y in October.

Graph 12: Canada Employment: Total

Gray shading denotes recession, Q4 2008-Q2 2009. Unlike U.S., Canada did not experience a dot.com recession in early 00s. Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Statistics Canada.Chart: ConstructConnect.

Graph 13: Canada Employment: Manufacturing

Gray shading denotes recession, Q4 2008-Q2 2009. Unlike U.S., Canada did not experience a dot.com recession in early 00s. Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Statistics Canada.Chart: ConstructConnect.

Graph 14: Canada Employment: Construction

Gray shading denotes recession, Q4 2008-Q2 2009. Unlike U.S., Canada did not experience a dot.com recession in early 00s. Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Statistics Canada.Chart: ConstructConnect.

Graph 15: Canada Employment: Services-Providing

Gray shading denotes recession, Q4 2008-Q2 2009. Unlike U.S., Canada did not experience a dot.com recession in early 00s. Latest data points are October, 2019 / Based on seasonally adjusted (SA) data.

Data source: Statistics Canada.Chart: ConstructConnect.

Alex Carrick is Chief Economist for ConstructConnect. He has delivered presentations throughout North America on the U.S., Canadian and world construction outlooks. Mr. Carrick has been with the company since 1985. Links to his numerous articles are featured on Twitter @ConstructConnx, which has 50,000 followers.

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The US Jobs Story and Ghosts of Recessions Past - Daily Commercial News

CLEVELAND, Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Austin Company (www.theaustin.com) is proud to announce and welcome David W. Watson as its baking and snack engineering SME.

Mr. Watson brings to Austin over 37 years in the food industry, having begun his career as a project engineer at Pepperidge Farm. Most recently, Mr. Watson served as Vice President, Engineering-International, Pepperidge Farm and Packaging Systems at Campbell Soup Company.

"Dave has been part of our family for many years as a client in his prior role as vice president engineering at Campbell Soup Company," stated Brandon Davis, vice president and general manager of Austin's Eastern Operations. "We are overjoyed to have him join our family, now as a team member bringing deep process and operations skills, as well as the owner's perspective to our work."

Mr. Watson earned his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University and his MBA at Saint Joseph's University. He has served on the American Society of Baking (ASB) Executive Committee, the Bakery Equipment Manufacturers Association (BEMA) BIF Committee, the American Baker's Association (ABA), and is currently on committees for the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE).

"I have known Dave for a long time, and The Austin Company is fortunate to have him join our team," said company president Mike Pierce. "His breadth of experience in the baking industry will position us to better serve our existing and future clients in this market."

About The Austin CompanyThe Austin Company, a design-build firm headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, offers a comprehensive portfolio of services for commercial and industrial companies throughout North America. Services include site location, planning, architectural design, engineering, construction, facility maintenance, and operations improvement consulting.

SOURCE The Austin Company

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The Austin Company Welcomes David W. Watson, Baking And Snack Industry Expert, To The Team - PRNewswire

Fees. Ill be blunt; Ive been nervous about approaching this topic. The most significant shift in this area the abolition of mandatory fee scales happened eight years before I was born. Fees are also an emotive topic, shrouded in the touchiness that always accompanies discussions of money in our culture.

A couple of brief caveats. I have a limited word count so this is not an exhaustive examination. I also cant touch on architects wages. Though theyre inextricably tied to fees I just dont have space to consider this properly. Caveats firmly in place, let me get on with it!

Fees are now a bit of an enigma. Rumours swirl and some publications and agencies have attempted to publish fee surveys. However, information is patchy, and surveys are usually from a small, self-selecting sample and therefore of limited value statistically speaking. One friend told me of an unethical but practical part III tutor who, as he saw it, had found a way to overcome this problem. He admitted to his students that he had little interest in teaching them he had mainly taken the job to harvest their PEDRs and case studies for fee information.

This lack of guidance is a fairly recent development. In the early days of the RIBA a focus on the client being able to select on ability, rather than cost, was seen as key in professionalising the architect. Therefore, the RIBA set mandatory fee scales, based on a percentage of construction cost. Clients could select on talent, and architects didnt have to concern themselves with what to charge for their services. This may have been an oversimplification in terms of fee calculation, but projects at the time rarely approached the level of either complexity or duplication that they do now.

The Restrictive Trade Practices Act of 1956 made collective restrictive practices in the supply of goods illegal. This was shortly followed by the Monopolies and Mergers Act of 1963 which extended this principle to the supply of services. A Monopolies Commission Report from 1970 began to erode the legality of mandatory professional fee scales, suggesting the introduction of price competition is likely to be the most effective single stimulant to greater efficiency and to innovation and variety of service and price. Under pressure from government mandatory RIBA fee scales became recommended in 1982.

RIBA fee scales exist in a mythical world one where the architect was god on site

Considering these policies to be successful, the government of the early 1990s built further on this principle by introducing compulsory competitive fee tendering for public-sector projects. Many private-sector projects followed suit, and in 1992 recommended RIBA fee scales became indicative.

These indicative charts were finally abolished in 2009 with the RIBA stating at the time: The RIBA practice committee felt that the application of percentages based upon fee survey data was an increasingly outdated method of calculating fees, and potentially harmful in the current economic climate. The RIBA now points to its publications A Clients Guide to Engaging an Architect (2013) and Good Practice Guide: Fee Management (2009) for guidance on fee calculation.

The government intended that the abolition of fee scales would lead to a more innovative, competitive marketplace. Thirty-seven years on, few would argue that the marketplace for architectural services is competitive, though some have suggested that there has been a race to the bottom on fees, leading to lower standards. While this argument may carry some truth, I think it oversimplifies the issue.

I spoke with Helen Logan, a partner at Allies & Morrison, who described the difficulties she sees in drawing too neatly a comparison between then and now. She acknowledged that fees as a percentage of construction cost are often half what they might have been in the last recommended scales (1992). But she also said the construction landscape has changed. Fees are not always a percentage now they may be on a per unit or time charge basis. Some practices are even beginning to tie their fee to the commercial success of the project.

Additionally, efficiencies in the way we practice have shifted the time and resources required for architectural work. Drawing by hand was the norm in 1992; CAD, and now BIM, has increased the ability for straightforward duplication of, for example, flat layouts, and increased the efficiency of coordination within large teams or between disciplines. Large and complex projects can now be carried out with more accuracy and speed than when everything was drawn with a Rotring pen on trace.

Nevertheless, Logan cautioned that many of the productivity improvements that have come about in her working life are difficult to easily quantify or communicate to clients when demonstrating value or negotiating fees. Since 1992 the regulatory environment has dramatically shifted: Part M has doubled in size; Part L is notably more challenging; there has been a new Planning Act; CDM legislation has come into force; as have new parts of the Building Regulations, for security and high-speed broadband; not to mention the de-facto legislation emerging through the Ojeu process to name but a few.

Architects must now grapple with considerably more information and coordinate ever more complex technical detail. Very little of this is readily apparent from a surface glance. It has, however, resulted in better, safer, healthier buildings that, broadly, cause less damage to the environment and the workforce that created them, not to mention dramatically increasing the social value of modern construction projects.

For me, RIBA fee scales exist in a mythical world one where the architect was god on site, projects were smaller, and where architects didnt advertise but sat behind their brass plaques waiting for work to knock on the door.

This picture bears almost no resemblance to the profession I joined two years ago. Fee scales abolition undoubtedly made life harder for some architects, especially those who are not so keen on the business side of practice life.

But it is short sighted, I think, to suggest that the progress both social and technological made in the last 30-odd years is entirely unrelated to a more competitive market place for fees.

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We need to talk about money | Opinion - Building Design

AN iconic building is one that captivates a city or even a nation.

Iconic buildings are most successful when there is a socio-cultural layer to their development, says Hannes Pfau, partner at UNStudio, an Amsterdam-based architecture company.

"The urban fabric of Kuala Lumpur has many examples of modernist architecture that have an added richness because they not only demonstrate quality design, but also respond to local climates and ways of life, he said.

Pfau said, iconic buildings can benefit cities on multiple levels.

"The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur are a stunning example. They are ageless. By having been the tallest towers in the world for six years, they brought a lot of attention to Kuala Lumpur and helped define it as a leading city in Asia, he told NST Property.

Pfau said Kuala Lumpur embraces many different cultures and has grown into a city with a very exciting mix of traditional and modern, adding that this mentality is ideal for the development of new landmark projects.

Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany.

Culture is an extremely important parameter when it comes to the design of architecture. We as architects, should always do our best to address this in a respectful and tasteful way. Additionally, architecture is a reflection or reaction to an era, so it can never be isolated from history and culture. Modern architecture is strongest when it reflects the past and present, and even anticipates the future, he added.

Pfau, who is also a director of UNStudio Asia, manages several large scale and high profile projects in China and Asia Pacific region, such as the Lyric Theatre Complex in the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong, as well as the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany and the University of Music and Music Theater in Graz, Austria.

He hoped that the Lyric Theatre Complex will be a spectacular addition to the public buildings in Hong Kong.

For Pfau, the largest project that he had personally been involved in is Raffles City project in Hangzhou, China.

"This is a very good example of an integrated design approach that aims to reach the highest level of social, ecological and commercial sustainability," he said.

Working in Malaysia

On the services that UNStudio can provide for Malaysian companies, Pfau said, the scale of its projects ranges from large-scale urban plans, to architecture and interior design, to product design.

Every scale and budget has its own challenges. We do strongly believe in customized design that caters to the very specific needs of our clients. To create something that is meaningful to the field of architecture, that further expands the capabilities of our practice and is the perfect solution for the client, that is always our goal. Personally, I enjoy designing a single family house just as much as a mega project, he explained.

UNStudio is currently working with Vanke Malaysia, a subsidiary of Vanke Group from China, on a multi-billion ringgit mix-development project located at Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur.

On this development with Vanke, Pfau said it will be one of the first projects for UNStudio in Malaysia.

Hannes Pfau, partner at UNStudio.

"This project is of highest importance to us to respect the cultural and environmental context and to design a building that is a vanguard of sustainable and environmentally-friendly design.

"One of the questions we have been asked is how do we create a residential mixed-used building in the city centre where the residents can enjoy the natural greenery while at the same time make use of the offerings of an urban, centrally-located apartment.

"The goal would be to offer a lifestyle that places the quality of life and work-life balance at its core," said Pfau.

Architecture revolutions in Asia

On the revolutions in Asia in terms of architecture, Pfau said the interest and investment in design and architecture has been evident across Asia since they started working on projects in Asia nearly 20 years ago.

Taking China for example, there has definitely been both a continued strong interest in drawi

ng international architectural influences into the country and nurturing the emerging architectural identities rising from within. The speed of architectural development across China is unprecedented, he said.

Pfau said, other Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia have each found their distinct architectural identities during their own eras of growth, which have led to many great examples of risk-taking architecture and iconic works that have been embraced by the citizens as a part of modern society and culture.

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What makes a building iconic? - New Straits Times